Peter Kormos
| Peter Kormos | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Peter Kormos at an ONDP event in August 2009 | |
| Member of Provincial Parliament | |
| In office November 3, 1988 – June 2, 1999 |
|
| Preceded by | Mel Swart |
| Succeeded by | Constituency dissolved |
| Constituency | Welland |
| Member of Provincial Parliament | |
| In office June 3, 1999 – 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Constituency created |
| Succeeded by | constituency dissolved |
| Constituency | Niagara Centre |
| Member of Provincial Parliament | |
| In office 2007–2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Constituency created |
| Succeeded by | Cindy Forster |
| Constituency | Welland |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 7, 1952 Welland, Ontario |
| Political party | New Democratic Party |
| Residence | Welland, Ontario |
| Occupation | lawyer |
| Religion | Eastern Catholic |
Peter Kormos (born October 7, 1952 in Welland, Ontario) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. A former lawyer, he was first elected as an Ontario New Democratic Party (ONDP) Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the Welland constituency in a 1988 provincial by-election. He replaced veteran NDP legislator Mel Swart. Kormos was re-elected in every Ontario general election since then. He did not seek re-election in 2011.
Contents |
[edit] Early life and education
Kormos first attained notoriety in the Welland area while still in high school, while president of his student council.[1] Kormos led a sit-in student strike against local administration practices and students' rights.[1] The week-long strike brought school activities to a halt, resulting in Kormos's temporary expulsion.[1] He was later educated at Niagara College, York University and Osgoode Hall in Toronto.[1] Called to the bar in 1980, Kormos then worked as a barrister in the Niagara Region.[2]
[edit] Provincial by-election 1988
Kormos was a practicing criminal lawyer, and a local Wellend city councillor in 1988, when long-time Welland Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Mel Swart decided to retire due to health reasons.[2] Swart was a populist ONDP MPP, in a heavily unionized constituency.[2] The constituency had a long history of electing "populist" politicians, going back to 1951 to Swart's predecessor, Ellis Morningstar.[2] The by-election occurred in the middle of two other major elections at the time: the Canadian General election known as the "Free Trade" election, and the Wellend city council election.[2] Kormos continued the "populist" approach pioneered by Morningstar and Swart, and won a heated – and what the The Toronto Star called, "[a] vote as dirty as mudwrestling" – election on November 3, 1988.[2][3]
[edit] Bob Rae government 1990–1995
The NDP won government under Bob Rae in the general election of 1990, and Kormos was appointed to cabinet as Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations and Minister of Financial Institutions on October 1, 1990.[4] Notably, he was expected to implement a public auto insurance system, a longstanding cornerstone of Ontario NDP policy. Rae subsequently backed away from this goal, against considerable opposition from the outspoken Kormos and other party members, including Swart and Kormos' supporter and fellow MPP Mark Morrow.
Kormos additionally elicited controversy by appearing, fully clothed, as a "Sunshine Boy" model in the Toronto Sun tabloid. This was anathema to some in the party, because of the Sun's politically conservative position and because of the Sunshine Boy's place as a parallel to the "Sunshine Girl" franchise, pictures of scantily-clothed women given considerably more prominence than the Sunshine Boy.[5] Kormos was dropped from cabinet on March 18, 1991.[5] For the remainder of Rae's term in office, Kormos acted as an unofficial "left opposition" within the NDP caucus, together with Morrow and, until his resignation, Anglican priest Dennis Drainville. In 1993, this group and former cabinet minister Karen Haslam were the only NDP MPPs to vote against the Rae government's Social Contract legislation.
The NDP were defeated in the 1995 provincial election, though Kormos's personal popularity was such that he was re-elected without difficulty.
[edit] NDP opposition years 1995–2011
After Rae's retirement, Kormos sought the leadership of the Ontario NDP at the convention held on June 22, 1996.[6] He placed third, behind Frances Lankin and Howard Hampton. He threw his support to Hampton, which played significantly in Hampton's victory.[7]
In 1996, Kormos was charged with assaulting a security guard at the Family Support Services office in Downsview, Ontario. Kormos challenged the charges on the basis that the prosecution amounted to an abuse of the court’s process by the Attorney General, though this challenge was dismissed by the court.[8] Kormos was ultimately acquitted of the charges.[9]
He was widely expected to contest the leadership in 2009, following Hampton's retirement, but instead supported the successful candidacy of Andrea Horwath.[10]
Kormos served as House Leader for the Ontario NDP Caucus from 2001 until his retirement in 2011 and also held numerous critic portfolios in Opposition, including Justice, Community Safety and Correctional Services, Consumer and Business Services, Labour, and Democratic Renewal.[4] On June 3, 2011, Kormos announced that he will not be running for office again, and will retire after 23 years at the Legislative Assembly.[11]
[edit] Views
During the debate on same-sex marriage he stated his position that "government should get out of the marriage business," which some critics see as an equivocal stance designed to placate social conservatives opposed to same-sex marriage. Nevertheless, Kormos is generally regarded as an ally of the province's gay community, and has supported several bills expanding the range of same-sex benefits in the province.
Kormos represents socialist economic values with a populist, working-class presentation. He is notable for showing up in the provincial legislature in open-neck shirt and cowboy boots.[12] He opposes the Third Way movement made famous by British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Kormos was a political mentor to prominent Canadian actress Sarah Polley.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Kenna, Kathleen (1988-11-07). "Blushing maverick adds color to otherwise-staid Legislature". The Toronto Star (Toronto): p. A20. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/474297481.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+7%2C+1988&author=Kathleen+Kenna+Toronto+Star&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=A.20&desc=Blushing+maverick+adds+color+to+otherwise-staid+Legislature. Retrieved 2011-06-04.
- ^ a b c d e f Keena, Kathleen (1988-11-02). "Welland vote is as dirty as mudwrestling". The Toronto Star (Toronto): p. A24.
- ^ Kenna, Kathleen (1988-11-04). "Ontario NDP wins Welland seat". The Toronto Star (Toronto): p. A5. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/474283161.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+4%2C+1988&author=Kathleen+Kenna+Toronto+Star&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=A.5&desc=Ontario+NDP+wins+Welland+seat+Welland+by-election. Retrieved 2011-06-04.
- ^ a b "Peter Kormos, MPP (Welland)". Current MPPs. Queen's Park: Ontario Legislative Assembly. 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5zC0kkE9i. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
- ^ a b Carey, Elaine (1991-03-23). "'Why should I be miserable or unhappy?' unrepentant Kormos asks". The Toronto Star (Toronto): pp. A1-A2. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/461746661.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+23%2C+1991&author=Elaine+Carey+Toronto+Star&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=A.1&desc=%27Why+should+I+be+miserable+or+unhappy%3F%27+unrepentant+Kormos+asks. Retrieved 2011-06-04.
- ^ Girard, Daniel (1996-06-11). "Battling out for top NDP job". The Toronto Star: p. A19.
- ^ Girard, Daniel (1996-06-23). "Hampton takes over as Ontario's NDP leader". The Toronto Star: pp. A1, A6.
- ^ R. v. Kormos, 154 DLR (4th) 551 (ON SC 1997-11-28).
- ^ http://canlii.ca/t/1wd0f
- ^ Haines, Mike (2009-02-06). "Kormos endorses Horwath for NDP leadership". NDP Caucus Services. Queen's Park: Canadian News Wire. http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2009/06/c6326.html. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
- ^ Talaga, Tanya (2011-06-03). "NDP's Peter Kormos to retire". The Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1002223--ndp-mpp-peter-kormos-to-retire?bn=1. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
- ^ LaFleche, Grant (2007). "Elect more NDP MPPs and I'll wear a tie to work: Kormos; 'and it will be made in ontario too'". Wellend Tribune. http://www.webcitation.org/5zAbbohL7. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
